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Friday, June 17, 2011

"Quirky" Neighbors

The houses on either side of us are up for sale.

This leaves me wondering: Who will be our new neighbors?

For the 10+ years we've lived here, our neighbors have been nice and quiet. Will the new neighbors throw loud parties? Will they have young, screaming kids and erect one of those giant tacky wooden play structures? Will they be strange and quirky?

Oh, wait..... have I just described us?

Yes, we are the one family on the block that has their kids home all day. Recess and P.E. are often conducted in the backyard on one of those giant wooden play structures.

We're the family always riding bikes together around the neighborhood. Yes, I'm the mom with the baby seat still on the back of my bike even though I no longer have a baby. (What can I say, it makes a great soccer ball holder and library book "basket".)

Yes, my daughter is the one in the backyard wearing a pink Disney princess t-shirt, and digging in the mud. She's the one who claimed a cicada was her best friend for a day and was then devastated when it crawled out of its shell and flew away.

If the widows are open you'll probably hear someone playing the piano, guitar, mandolin or banjo.

I'm the one in the kitchen with all the pots and pans crashing, making my own food from scratch.

I clean my own house.

I teach my own kids.

We mow our own grass.

We don't pay for television.

The library is our second home.

Yes, we're the family with the kids that sled in the front yard in the summertime.

We're the family with the dad in the driveway with long hair, covered in tattoos, building a huge sculpture out of tree branches from a dead tree.

That's me in the backyard with a camera taking pictures of food and flowers.

Yes, we're the family with the used purple station wagon with the missing gas cap.

That's our mini van with the bumper sticker that reads:

So why am I so concerned about who our new neighbors will be?

Perhaps they should be more concerned about the "quirky" neighbors living next door to them.

11 comments:

Oh would I have been happy if you were the neighbors we had next door .. Now my next door neighbor is a writer who is quite eccentric who lives with her close to 100 year old mother .. they are quiet and seem to love us . I can't ask for more than that.

You sound like my kind of neighbour. Ours screams at her kids all day in the street outside our door. Then again at least she plays with her kids and all the other kids in the neighbourhood (even if it is right outside our front door) Our dog has separation anxiety and barks constantly while we are out, so I guess we're even!!

I just finished reading a book you might find interesting (if you have the time) - it's called "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes... I am aspiring to be one myself (sans babies), and I think what you are doing could certainly qualify. Good work!!

Hey your house sounds like fun. We're probably those poeple on our street. Little man and I are at home and we have a garden the back yard, do our own grass and landscaping(which isn't great I might add), chalk drawings all over the front porch and walkway, and I'm in the kitchen banging round. Oh and the kitchen is usually a mess. (I clean before I cook but after I'm done I just want to enjoy my food.....lol)

Playing on Wooden Play Structures is a great energy outlet. Instead of developing the indoor couch potato syndrome, outdoor play will develop good exercise habits. Your kids will be able to run, climb, and swing the day away. Invite the neighborhood kids over for a great group activity and they'll all get a little practice at cooperative play. They'll learn how to play well in groups, share ideas, and use their imaginations.

"Our fleet of cycles -- which are ideal for sightseeing, people watching, exercising or simply enjoying the park -- include the surrey, double surrey, deuce coupe, quad sport and chopper. Other bikes available for rent include tandem bikes, cruiser bikes and kids bikes. We also feature paddle boats (aqua cycles) available to rent."